Evaporative air cooler



March 11, 1958 v i J Mum AMAGEE/S,

{a 42 INVENTOR. V I BY 5 6 w E 193141- i4 5 five/9N5 United States Patent ()7 EVAPORATIVE AIR COOLER William A. Norris, Alhambra, Calif., asslgnor to Patrick J. Hogan, Los Angeles, Calif.

Application December 27, 1955, Serial No. 555,457

1 Claim. (Cl. 261-28) This invention relates to new and improved air coolers.

A general objective of this invention is to provide evaporative air coolers which are comparatively simple to construct, which are comparatively efficient to operate and which may be readily employed in a variety of different locations. A more specific object of this invention is to provide evaporative air coolers of essentially a dual character in that these coolers may be utilized in a variety of different locations with a minimum of difficulty.

Those familiar with the field of evaporative air coolers will realize that a dual character of this category is exceedingly desirable from both a utilitarian and a commercial aspect inasmuch as an individual buying a dual purpose evaporative air cooler as herein described need not buy separate units for different applications such as, e. g., in an automotive vehicle and in a home or oflice. The evaporative air coolers of this invention have proved that they can be easily and conveniently used both in common cars and in various buildings.

In order to adapt the air coolers herein described for such dual use, it is necessary to provide a separate stand with these air coolers, so that they may be disposed in a substantially horizontal position regardless of where they are located. Such a separate stand must be capable of being adjusted so as to fit the irregular contours of a common vehicle floor. An object of this invention is also to provide an easily and cheaply manufactured stand for use with evaporative air coolers, this stand being capable of being easily assembled and adjusted so that it may be employed in virtually any known location.

A more important object of the present invention is to provide a new category of liquid elevating means which are so designed as to supply during shaft rotation such as may be caused by a motor, a continuous stream-of a liquid such as water to an elevated location. The new liquid elevating or pumping means of the present invention are of a symmetrical construction, and are intended to be used in the evaporative air coolers herein described so as to supply a substantially continuous film or stream of water above a packing material where this water is contacted by air.

Further objects of this invention, as well as many advantages of it, will be apparent to those familiar with the fi l to Which t relates. from the remainder of the specification, including the appended claim and the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 shows a perspective view of an evaporative air cooler of this invention;

Fig. 2 shows a cross sectional view of the cooler shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the support stand used with the cooler shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view taken at line 44 of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged cross sectional view of means for elevating water employed with the cooler shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 6 is a cross sectional view taken at line 6-6 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 5 of a modified means for elevating water which may be employed instead of the means shown in Fig. 5.

In all figures of the drawings like numerals are used to designate like parts whenever convenient for purposes of illustration and explanation. It is to be understood that this'invention is not limited to evaporative air coolers of the precise size and shape illustrated, inasmuch as many modifications may be made within the preferred structure shown without departing from the essential nature of this invention.

In Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, there is shown a complete evaporative air cooler 10 of this invention which includes a generally cylindrical water reservoir 12 having an open top 14. Disposed directly above this open top is a double wall perforated cylinder 16 having an open top 18 which is preferably held in position by means of brackets 20 so as to be symmetrically disposed about the axis of the reservoir 12. Within it there is located a packing material, such as excelsior, straw, or other synthetic material capable of servingtto facilitate gas liquid contact so that as a motor 24 is operated, water will be lifted from the reservoir 12 through water elevating means 26 and thrown over the open top 18 so as to gradually move downwardly through the packing 22. The outside diameter of the cylinder 16 is smaller than the diameter of the reservoir 12 so as to prevent splashing of liquid from the cylinder 16 outside of the cooler 10. A bottom 28 is attached to the cylinder 16 so as to project inwardly therefrom toward a center opening 30. Any excess water draining through the packing 22 thus flows along this bottom 28 to the center opening 30 and then through this opening down into a cylindrical screen 32 and into the reservoir 12. The screen 32 is, with the preferred construction, symmetrically located about the axis of the reservoir 12 so as to project adjacent to the bottom of this reservoir.

The water elevating means 26 includes a shaft 34 projecting from the bottom of the motor 24 to adjacent the normal water level within the reservoir 12. Two tubes 36 are symmetrically located about the shaft 34 so as to project upwardly from the bottom thereof so that their lower portions are at an acute angle to the axis of the shaft to above the open top 18 of the cylinder 16. Each of these tubes is provided with an open lower end 38 and an open top end 40. The two open lower ends 38 are located, as is best seen in Figs. 5 and 6 of the drawings, within the generally conical shield 42. This shield has an open lower end 44, and projects upwardly from the bottom of the shaft 34, so that its walls diverge toward the motor 24. In use, both the lower end 44 of the shield 42 and the lower ends 33 of the tubes 36 are disposed within the reservoir 12 so that as the motor 24 is operated water is moved by virtue of the rotation upwardly through the tubes 36 out the top ends 40. Unnecessary splashing of water by the tubes hitting the motor during rotation is prevented by the shape of the shield 42.

As is best seen in Fig. 2 of the drawing, these top ends 40 arelocated immediately beneath a baffle 46 disposed between the motor 24 and the cylinder 16. This baflle 46 serves to direct water from the top end 40 down over the top end 18 of the cylinder 16 where this water moves as previously indicated. An imperforate wall 48 is located above the cylinder 16 so as to prevent undesired splashing; the battle 46 is provided with a dependent flange 48 of cylindrical shape located about the motor 24 so as to protect this motor from water which might be splashed upon it.

From the upper end of the motor 24 there projects a continuation of the shaft 34; to this continuation there is attached a cylindrical blower 50 having edge vanes 52 and a bottom opening 54. This blower 50 as well as the shaft 34 are located so that their axes are coincident with the axis of the reservoir 12. Immediately above the bafile 46 there is positioned aroundthelower part of the blower 50 a conical shaped baflle 56 which faces upwardly so as to direct air from the b1ower'50 in an upward direction. If desired a screen 58 and a solid top 59 may be located as shown so as to protect against injury.

In order to complete the cooler 10, a filler tube 60 having a cap 62 is located as shown on the outside of the cylinder 16 so as to be in communication with the'reservoir 12. Further, a tube 64 is located so as to extend throughout the length of the cylinder 16 between the walls thereof down into the reservoir 12. The bottom of this tube 64 is spaced from the bottom of the reservoir 12 so that water can enter it. A common float indicator 66 is disposed within the tube 64 in such a manner that the water level within the reservoir 12 may be readily determined visually through a slot 68 in the tube 64.

During operation of cooler 10, water is drawn up through the tubes 36 by the water elevating means 26 and distributed over the open top 18. As this occurs air is drawn in through the walls of the cylinder 16 by the operation of the blower 50 and is pulled past the motor 24 and then is propelled outwardly and upwardly by means of the conical baflle 56. A common switch 70 may be used to turn the motor 24 on or off. If desired, depending upon the type of motor used, a transformer may be employed so as to adjust the voltage delivered to this motor.

In Fig. 7 of the drawings, a modified water elevating means 72 is shown which differs from the water elevating means primarily in that the conical shield 42 is provided with a closed top 44 into which the tubes 36 project. The operation of this modified water elevating means is substantially the same as the operation of the water elevating means 26. v

In order to support the cooler in any position a support stand 80 is provided which consists of a plurality of sections 82, each of which sections includes an arcuate center portion and ends 84 extending radially therefrom. These sections are designed so that they may be attached to one another to form a complete cylindrical band by using common bolts 86. The ends are provided with rounded terminal portions 90 which are adapted to engage support members 91 which may conveniently be common dowelling. By adjusting the bolts the position of the support members may be adjusted so that the stand will sit in a horizontal position in virtually any location. Small flanges 92 are provided on the center portions of each of the sections so as to engage the bottom of the cooler 10 in supporting this cooler.

When the cooler 10 is to be employed inside of an automobile, or in any other location where it is to rest upon an uneven surface the stand 80 is placed in such location and the positions of the support members 91 are adjusted in the obvious manner so that the sections 82 are in a single horizontal plane. The cooler 10 is then placed upon the stand 80, and is ready to be utilized in cooling. When it is desired to move the cooler 10 from such a location so as to use it within a dwelling, an office, or the like it is merely lifted off of the stand 80 and placed upon a flat surface such as the floor within such other location. It is, of course, possible to readjust the stand 80 to hold the cooler 10 in such another location, but this is not normally preferred. The stand 80 may be conveniently left in its initial location so as to receive the cooler 10 when this cooler is replaced within an automotive vehicle or the like.

Those skilled in the art to which this invention pertains will realize that the cooler 10 is a very efiicient device for the purpose intended, and that certain means, such as either of the water elevating means described, while specifically designed for this cooler, are also capable of being used in other separate applications with varying degrees of effectiveness. For these reasons the present invention is to be considered as being limited only by the appended claim in which the various concepts present which are considered to be of an inventive nature are summarized or defined.

An evaporative air cooler of the class described which comprises: a generally cylindrical reservoir for water having an open top; means for holding said reservoir so that the axis of said reservoir is in a substantially vertical position; means for adding water to said reservoir; means for determining the quantity of said water within said reservoir; a cylindrical screen having an open top disposed symmetrically about the axis of said reservoir, within said reservoir, so that said open top of said screen lies generally within the same plane as the open top of said reservoir; a double wall perforated cylinder having an open upper end located symmetrically about the axis of said reservoir above the open top of said reservoir; a motor having a shaft projecting therefrom located generally above said perforated double wall cylinder, said shaft projecting from both sides of said motor along the axis of said reservoir; a baffie spaced from said motor and said perforated double wall cylinder positioned between said motor and said perforated double wall cylinder above the open upper end of said perforated double wall cylinder; a cylindrical blower attached to said shaft above said baflle, the axis of said blower being coincident with the axis of said reservoir; a plurality of tubes symmetrically disposed about said shaft so as to project upwards at an acute angle with respect to the axis of said shaft from adjacent lower end of said shaft, each of said tubes having an open lower end and an open upper end, said upper ends of said tubes being located adjacent to the side of said bafile facing said double wall perforated cylinder; and packing material designed to facilitate gas-liquid contact located within the walls of said double wall perforated cylinder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,276,285 Thompson Aug. 20, 1918 1,578,333 McNitf et al Mar. 30, 1926 1,750,969 Schafran Mar. 18, 1930 1,952,269 Lundquist Mar. 27, 1934 2,062,158 Berlowitz Nov. 24, 1936 2,498,818 Nogle Feb. 28, 1950 2,508,683 Nelson May 23, 1950 2,713,509 Long July 19, 1955 ,752,134 Paulus June 26, 1956 2,769,620 Davison Nov. 6, 1956 

